In conjunction with the expanded opening of the Ghibli Park in Aichi, Japan in late 2023 ( Mononoke Village and Valley Of Witches ), Japanese lifestyle/design magazine Casa Brutus (カーサ ブルータス) published a special feature in their May 24 issue dedicated to the design and architecture of Ghibli Park and Ghibli Museum. This is a follow-up volume to Casa BRUTUS’s first feature published back in 2022, which covers the first opening of the Park.

The extensive contents ( which cover about 90% of the total page count of the magazine ) include a huge collection of beautiful photographs that really showcase the amazing real-life reproductions of iconic locations from some of Studio Ghibli’s most famous animated films like Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, The Cat Returns and more. There’s are also wonderfully illustrated cross-sectional images that detail the construction and design of the buildings re-created from these films.

On top of the coverage on Ghibli Park, there is also a section dedicated to the art and design of Ghibli Museum, including the permanent exhibits like the Totoro zoetrope, photographs of original Hayao Miyazaki art for his Academy Award winning film The Boy And The Heron as well as background art from Spirited Away.

Even if you do not understand Japanese, the photographs and illustrations are still well worth taking a look at. Check them out below –

I think it is going to be quite a while before I can actually visit Ghibli Park in person, so I’m just going to enjoy it vicariously through the photographs of this magazine. For 1080yen ( about $7 ), it’s not a bad substitute for a real entry ticket. Recommended.

Also, if you are interested to learn more about the architecture of Studio Ghibli, especially through illustrations and art work, I highly recommended the art book for their Structures Exhibition held in 2014.

The giant 2 volume book set Hayao Miyazaki And The Ghibli Museum is something not to be missed as well.

“The Art & Architecture Of Studio Ghibli II – Casa BRUTUS Magazine (カーサ ブルータス) 2024年 05月号[スタジオジブリの建築・アート]” magazine details :

– Dimensions – 11.18 x 9.06 x 0.35 inches
– Softcover, 174 pages
– In Japanese language

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